Wednesday, September 14, 2011

the best bread!

one of my bestest girlfriends recently celebrated a birthday- i am usually not so great at thinking of gifts for people- especially those that have so many wonderful things all ready, so i struggled with what to get her. I recently found an incredible bread recipe that has literally changed my bread-making life. It is an easy (and impressive) bread to take to dinners or make for slightly special meals at home. it requires a little bit of planning, 4 basic ingredients, and a ceramic or cast iron pot, but the result is the most perfect, chewy, moist and delicious bread! so i figured why not share this recipe (and its needed supplies) with my sweet friend on her birthday. It made a personalized gift that had meaning for me, and therefor, passed along meaning to her too.

A gift ready for a wonderful friend

No Knead French Bread (From The Essential New York Times Cookbook)Ingredients:
3 cups flour (any kind is fine, but unbleached white gives the BEST french bread taste!)
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp cool water (more or less as needed)
Cornmeal (or wheatbran) as needed

Directions:

Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl.

Add the water and stir until blended; the dough should be shaggy, moist, and sticky. (I usually need to add 1/2 cup more water.)

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 12-18 hours at room temperature. (I usually make this the night before we want to have- around 8:00pm, and then the timing works out to have fresh bread for dinner the following day. I know this makes it sound like a lot of work or a high maintenance bread, but i assure you, its simple and only requires a few moments of your attention a few times over the 18 hour period. easy peasy!)

Lightly flour work surface and place dough on it.

Sprinkle with a little more flour, and fold it over onto itself twice.

Cover loosely again with plastic wrap and leave 15 minutes.

Generously coat a cotton or linen towel with cornmeal, wheat bran, or flour.

Gently form the dough into a ball and place it seam-side down on the tea towel.

Dust with a little more cornmeal and fold the sides of the towel over the ball so it is covered.

Set the timer for 2 hours and let the dough rise

When the timer goes off, leave the dough as is and preheat the oven to 450 F. Put a covered 6-8 quart heavy pot (cast iron, enamel, or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. Set the timer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, carefully remove the pot from the oven.

Turn the dough over into the pot. If it looks like a mess that's okay - it will end up fine.

Cover the pot with the lid and bake for 30 minutes

Uncover the pot and bake for another 15 minutes or until the loaf is beautiful and brown.

1 comment:

HELLO FRIENDS!i'm jessica. mama, bread baker, guerrilla gardener, plastic avoider, tv killer and small time blogger. here you will find little bits of our everyday adventures, a few crafts and diy projects, yummy food, and all of the things i love most in this world. thanks for stopping by! xo